MARIGOT — A 21-year-old woman was rescued from a burning apartment in the Les Marines residence in Nettle Bay on Monday afternoon after becoming trapped inside her smoke-filled duplex unit. Emergency services from the La Savane fire station were dispatched to the scene at approximately 1:56 p.m. following reports of an apartment fire with a person in need of rescue. Upon arrival, firefighters found the woman trapped on the third floor of the residential complex. The lower level of the duplex was engulfed in flames in the living room area and heavily filled with smoke, while smoke had also spread to…
Author: The Publisher
MARIGOT — The Collectivité of Saint Martin has opened registration for businesses, associations, cultural groups and performers wishing to participate in this year’s patronal celebrations scheduled for July and August. The annual festivities will take place on July 14 in Marigot, July 21 in Grand Case, and August 15 in Sandy Ground, featuring parades, cultural activities, entertainment and community events. Associations and carnival troupes interested in participating in the French National Day parade in Marigot on July 14 and/or the Schoelcher Day parade in Grand Case on July 21 are invited to register with the Collectivité’s Events Department by June 30, 2026. Vendors wishing to…
MARIGOT — The Executive Council of St. Martin has approved revised financing plans for two major school construction projects, increasing the budgets for both the new 900-student secondary school in La Savane and the reconstruction of the 600-student college in Quartier d’Orléans. The construction of the new 900-student school in La Savane is one of the Collectivité’s flagship education projects and is intended to replace the former Soualiga College in Cul-de-Sac, which was destroyed by Hurricane Irma in 2017. The project also forms part of a broader reorganization of secondary education on the island by consolidating the Soualiga and Robert Weinum…
PHILIPSBURG — Several hundred residents took to the streets on Monday in what organizers described as a peaceful demonstration against rising electricity costs, the controversial fuel clause, and ongoing concerns about transparency at NV GEBE. According to estimates reported by St. Maarten News Online, approximately 300 people participated in the march itself, while another 200 residents gathered at NV GEBE’s headquarters to witness the presentation of a petition to the utility company’s management. The demonstration was organized by the Association for Consumer Protection St. Maarten (ACP-SXM), led by President Peggy-Ann Dros, who has become one of the most visible public…
ANSE MARCEL — Four months after employees of St. Martin Beach Resort & Spa warned of growing uncertainty surrounding the future of the property, workers are now facing the prospect of mass layoffs, with management proposing to eliminate 122 of the hotel’s 130 positions. The proposal, revealed during ongoing restructuring proceedings, would reduce the workforce by approximately 94 percent and leave only eight employees remaining at the resort, formerly operated as Secrets Resort & Spa St. Martin. The hotel’s Works Council (Comité Social et Économique, CSE), which represents employees, has overwhelmingly rejected the plan and is calling for its immediate withdrawal…
By Terrance Rey This week I read with great interest that Curaçao is preparing a new round of economic reforms aimed at reducing bureaucracy, lowering the cost of doing business, improving digital government services, and creating a more attractive investment climate. The reforms are part of a broader effort to remove administrative barriers that have frustrated entrepreneurs and investors for years. (Curacao Chronicle) My first reaction was simple: Good. My second reaction was: When will Sint Maarten do the same? For years, politicians, civil servants, business associations, and entrepreneurs have spoken about economic diversification, attracting investment, creating jobs, supporting small…
It’s Competent Leadership, Accountability and Political Courage Much has been said since Hurricane Irma about the lack of capacity within Sint Maarten’s government apparatus. It has become a familiar explanation for why critical reforms, infrastructure projects, and institutional improvements continue to move at a frustratingly slow pace and government fails to deliver the results our people deserve. The problem is that “lack of capacity” is only part of the story. Yes, there have been clear examples of insufficient capacity within government. But when limited capacity is combined with weak political leadership, poor prioritization, a lack of ownership by ministers, inefficient…
For many families in St. Maarten, energy costs are not a side issue. They shape how much money is left for groceries, transport, rent, school needs, and emergencies. That pressure is rooted in a long-standing structural problem: the island has long depended on imported fossil fuels, and both the government’s National Energy Policy and the World Bank continue to warn that this leaves the country exposed to volatile global prices, inflation, and sudden external shocks. Understanding Rising Energy Costs in St. Maarten St. Maarten’s energy vulnerability is not new. The government’s approved National Energy Policy, published in 2014, said the…
ST. MARTIN — As part of the 2026 St. Martin Book Fair, residents from across the island gathered at the University of St. Martin on June 6 for a community session entitled “Soualigans, We Need You,” where they worked collectively to develop an Environmental Justice Statement for St. Martin. Rather than attending a traditional presentation, participants were invited to contribute directly to the development of the statement. Through a facilitated process, residents responded to three questions: What do we love? What are we losing? What do we want? Every response was recorded, discussed, and prioritized ensuring that each participant had…
UNIVERSITY OF ST. MARTIN, St. Martin (June 9, 2026)—Antonio Carmona Báez and Tadzio Bervoets received the Presidents Award at the 23rd edition of the St. Martin Book Fair on June 6, 2026. The presentation of the Presidents Award was the final highlight of the two-day literary festival, according to Book Fair Committee member Cindy Peters. Antonio Carmona Báez, president of the University of St. Martin (USM), was present to accept his award at the USM campus, where the fair’s annual Main Book Launch and Closing Ceremony was held. Tadzio Bervoets, who earlier conducted the environmental workshop, “Protecting and Preserving St. Martin’s…
